What are they doing?

 TOPIC: AUTOPSY
 CONTENTS

I. DEFINITION

II. HISTORY OF AUTOPSY

III. Purpose & criteria for a medico-legal autopsy

IV. PROCEDURE

V. Some tools required for an autopsy:

VI. CONCLUSION
I. Definition:

Autopsy is a dismemberment and examination of a

dead body, its organs and structures in order to
determine the cause of death, to observe the effects of
disease, and to establish the evolution and mechanisms
of disease processes.
The word “autopsy” is derived from Greek words, autos
means oneself and opsis means sight or view, for instance to
see oneself. The word “autopsy” has used since 17 th century.

The alternative name of Autopsy are Necropsy (necros

means dead and opis means to view) means viewing the
dead body, Postmortem, or Postmortem Examination.
But the word “autopsy” is the most popularly used.
 II. HISTORY OF AUTOPSY

Autopsy was forbidden during the immemorial

period. It was prohibited by either cultures,
traditions or religions. In ancient Egypt, some
organs of the human dead body were removed for the
purpose of preservation but they did not study it in
order to discover the cause of the death.
The Greeks and the Indians incinerated their dead
without examination. The Romans, Chinese, and
Arabs all had taboos about opening the body. In fact,
human dissection was not allowed during the
Middle Ages.
The first real dissections for the study of disease were
carried out about 300 BCE by the Alexandrian: physicians
Herophilus and Erasistratus. The Greek doctor, Galen of
Pergamum (131–200 BC) dissected humans and animals to
know pathology and he was the first to correlate the patients'
symptoms and signs on the basis of findings of diseased
organs.
For instance, he related the patient’s symptoms
(complaints) and signs (what can be seen and felt)
with what was found upon examining the “affected
part of the deceased.”

His observations eventually led to modern autopsy

and broke an ancient barrier for progress of
medicine.
During the Renaissance, the work of Andreas
Vesalius (De humani corporis fabrica, 1543)
contributed to progress towards Autopsy. This
document made it possible to distinguish the
abnormal from the normal anatomy. Later Leonardo
da Vinci and Michelangelo carried out a number of
dissections.
The first forensic or legal autopsy, wherein the death was
investigated to determine presence of “fault,” is said to have
been one requested by a magistrate in Bologna in 1302. then
Antonio Benivieni carried out 15 autopsies to determine the
cause of death. Nowadays, autopsy is permitted in many
countries. The names listed below in the tables contributed to
the development of autopsy.
Contributions of world leaders in autopsy
S. Name Period Place And Significant Contribution
No. Country

1. Antonio 1443– Florentine Correlated clinical

Benivieni 1502 (Italy) symptoms with autopsy
findings; Publication of
autopsy records in 1507—
“The hidden causes of
diseases”
2. Giovanni 1682– Padua Performed and described 700
Battista 1771 (Italy) autopsies and produced the first
Morgagni exhaustive work on pathology in
1761—“The Seats and Causes of
Disease Investigated by
Anatomy”;
“Founder of Pathologic
Anatomy”
3. Marie 1771– Paris Identified 21 types of tissue with the
Xavier 1802 (France) help of physical and chemical tests
Bichat and without the help of microscope
wrote monograms and books which
describes his experiences with
tuberculosis, pneumonia, typhoid
and gastroenteritis; “Father of
Histology”
4. Carl von 1804– Vienna Performed 30, 000 autopsies
Rokitansky 1878 (Austria) and supervised 70,000
autopsies; described autopsy
technique based on the in-situ
examination of viscera;
Publications: “Handbook of
pathological anatomy” and
“Defects in the septa of the
heart; “Father of Modern
Autopsy”
The septum of the heart
5. Rudolf 1821– Berlin Developed simple autopsy
Ludwig 1902 (Germany) technique and published as
Carl “Method of performing post-
Virchow mortem Examinations in the
Dead House”;
Thorough the use of Ochron
Leukemia is cancer of the body's microscopic examination and term
blood-forming tissues, including the demonstrated that demonstrated originat
bone marrow and the lymphatic that the cellular pathology is the ‘Ocher’
system. basis of disease; published a meaning
Embolism: is a medical conditio in book “Cellular Pathology”; first yellow
which a blood clot, known as a to give names to diseases such can pr
thrombus, travels through the as leukemia, embolism, bluish
bloodstream and lodges in a smaller thrombosis, ochronosis, etc; black.
blood vessel, blocking the flow of terms named after him—
blood. Virchow's node, Virchow-
Robin space, Virchow-Seckel
syndrome and Virchow triad;
“Father of Modern Pathology”
Thrombosis
6. William 1849– Montreal A giant of clinical medicine and
Osler 1919 (Canada) pathology; Brought autopsy at the
Aneurysm of aorta:An aortic center of medical education; first to
aneurysm is a bulge in the wall
note that aneurysm of aorta was a
of your aorta, the main artery
from your heart. complication of syphilis; on the
Syphilis: Syphilis is an basis of his autopsy data published
infection caused by bacteria.
Most often, it spreads through
a book “The Principles and Practice
sexual contact. of Medicine”
syphilis
 III. Purpose & criteria for a medico-legal autopsy

The purpose of conducting an autopsy is to assist the

medical examiner in determining the cause of death within a
reasonable degree of medical certainty. Now the autopsy
itself is not the only tool that one uses to do that. The
medical examiner takes all the information that he can get
from the scene, the medical records, family information,
etc. and uses that to make a decision as to whether an
autopsy is necessary.
The criteria for when an autopsy is necessary to
perform depends upon the medical examiner’s
decision. He gets to decide whether or not
performing that autopsy will provide further
information to determine the cause of death.
Sometimes it is not an easy decision for him to take.
For example, in some cases when a person dies
quietly in bed, they are relatively elderly, there's
nothing suspicious going on, the medical examiner
may elect not to do an autopsy because there's really
not good driving reason to do so. In other cases
when a young person died in similar circumstances,
obviously there is a critical need to do the autopsy.
 III. PROCEDURE

Before performing an autopsy, investigators gather all the

information they can about the subject and the events
leading to his or her death, consulting medical records,
doctors and family members and examining the location
and circumstances of death.
 There are external and internal
examinations

1. External examination:

The autopsy begins with a careful examination of the body.

This can help establish identity, locate evidence or suggest a
cause of death. The pathologists weigh and measure the body,
noting the subject's clothing, valuables and characteristics
such as eye color, hair color and length, ethnicity, sex and age.
Removing the clothes of the dead person, then they
examine the body, searching for gunpowder residue,
paint flakes or other deposits, identifying marks such as
scars or tattoos, or injuries. X-rays are sometimes used to
reveal bone abnormalities and the locations of bullets or
other objects, and ultraviolet light can help detect certain
residues. Pathologists may also take samples of hair and
nails at this time.
2. Internal examination:

In complete examination, the pathologist removes and

dissects the chest, abdominal and pelvic organs, and the
brain (if necessary). It is unusual to examine the face,
arms, hands or legs internally. Little blood produce when
the pathologist cut the body.
Before cutting, the pathologist should place the torso on
a rubber block. He extends the body’s arch so that he
gets a greater access to the chest and abdomen. If a
brain autopsy is required, this block will be moved to
support the head once the torso work is complete.
The pathologist begins the chest and abdomen autopsy
by making a Y-shaped incision, the two arms of the Y
running from each shoulder joint, to meet at mid-chest
and the stem of the Y running down to the pubic
region.
The next step is to examine the organs in situ, that means
removing the ribcage. Using a saw or a rib cutter, the
pathologists cut along the boundary between the ribs and
the cartilage connected to the breastbone. Alternatively,
they might cut the sides of the chest cavity, leaving the
ribs attached to the breastbone and removing the entire
frontal ribcage as one chest plate.
The abdominal examination begins with a pathologist
freeing the intestines by cutting along the attachment
tissue with scissors or a scalpel.

If a brain autopsy is called for, the pathologist will

make a cut across the crown of the head, from the bony
bump behind one ear to the bump behind the other.
He or she will then open the cranium using a special
saw that cuts bone but leaves soft tissue unharmed.
Once each organ has been examined within the
body, it is removed, weighed and examined in
further detail. Sometimes organs are removed
individually, a procedure referred to as the Virchow
technique; other times, they are removed as a
connected group, via the Rokitansky technique.
Organs, particularly the brain, are sometimes placed
in formalin for days or even weeks before the
dissection is conducted. Formalin preserves organs
while also granting them greater firmness, allowing
for neater and more accurate dissections.
V. Some tools required for an autopsy:
Bone saw: used to cut through bone or skull

Bread knife: used to shave slices off of organs for

examination
Enterotome: special scissors used to open the
intestines
 Proper form of Improper left-handed

Scissors
and with

with one
rounded
handles
Strong enterodome form of enterodome

blade
bent
scissors
with
sort
blades

Sparate
d bladed
scissors
eaily
disinfect
ed
Hagedorn needle: a heavy needle used to sew up the body
after examination
Hammer with hook: used to pull skull cap off of skull

Rib cutter: special shears used to cut through the ribs

Scalpel: like a surgeon's scalpel but with largest blade

possible for making long deep cuts or scraping away tissue
Scissors: used for opening hollow organs and cutting
vessels
HAMMER
WITH
HOOK
HANDLE
Stryker saw
Skull chisel: used for helping to carefully pry the
skull cap off

Stryker saw: the electric saw used to cut through the

skull to remove the brain

Toothed forceps: used to pick up heavy organs

VI. Conclusion:

Autopsy is used to investigate and determine why a

person died, and also to shed light upon the
circumstances surrounding the death. The pathologist
should follow a procedure to perform an autopsy.
Autopsy is performed when it is necessary.
 Some vocabularies
1. medical examiner: le médicin
légiste 1. rounded bone saw: une scie à os
2. Medical records: les dossiers rond
médicaux 2. satterlee bone saw: une scie à os
3. Elderly: âgé; the elderly: les satterlee
personnes âgées 3. a rib cutting knife : un couteau à
4. Forensic pathologist: le côtes
médicinlégiste 4. Hammer with hook : un marteau
5. Valuables: les objects de valeurs avec un crochet
6. gunpowder residue: la poudre à 5. Hagedorn needle : aguille de
canon Hagedorn
7. paint flakes: l’écaille de peinture 6. To pry off : fouiller
8. deposits: depots 7. Chisel : ciseau
9. the stem: la tige
10.breastbone: le sternum 8. Toothed forceps : un forceps de
11. ribcage: la case thoracique dents
12.scapel : scapel
 References
 https://synapse.koreamed.org/upload/synapsedata/pdfdata/0018kjlm/kjlm-36-15.pdf

 http://www.anthro4n6.net/forensics/

 http://www.nlm.nih.gov/visibleproofs/education/anthropological/index.html

 http://www.all-about-forensic-science.com/forensic-anthropology.html

 http://vodpod.com/tag/forensic+anthropology

 http://www.knoxnews.com/videos/detail/knowsy_forensic/

 https://www.jaypeedigital.com/eReader/chapter/9789386056160/ch1